Gonstead Family Chiropractic- Blog

The Slight Edge is a book written by Jeff Olsen. It is one that is hard to put down, but yet hard to fully grasp if you are not fully invested. The key point is what is more impactful and sustaining, the one large result based on one large moment, or hundreds of small moments to create that large result?lets think about life for a moment. What was more impactful, the studying for that one massive exam or studying for each of those mini exams leading to that big one?​ Now lets think hunk about your health, which has bigger impact, eating junk food for 72 hours or eating junk food every day for 30 years? Little things in life add up to the big picture. But they need to be done consistently. You want to build your retirement account? Put a dollar in that account every day and see what happens. The time is now, put aside the excuses and start doing the little things consistently and watch your world change in ways you never thought. Whether you are doing the right things or the wrong things, they build up and will change you life. Gonstead Family Chiropractic in San Diego, is no different than steps towards an end goal to your health. We take a step by step approach with the end goal in mind for ultimate health. Please take the time to check out this book and see how it will change your life immensely.

- PS a truly amazing friend sent this to me and said it was a MUST READ...I will always be forever grateful.

February as many people associate it with is Valentines Day, well it is also Health Heart Month! It may not seem like a huge issue, but heart disease is the number one leading cause of death both in the United States as well as globally. In the US we are seeing tremendous spikes in obesity. This is easily a contributor to an unhealthy heart. There are many, many other reasons for developing an unhealthy heart as well. The vast majority of reasons why people are developing unhealthy hearts, can really boil down to one simple and PREVENTABLE aspect; lifestyle choices. So what are some of these lifestyle choices? The food you eat is a major contributor. The second big contributor is exercise. These two factors can make a major impact in your life and in your health! It is extremely important to know this. Start right now, by making a conscious effort to eat cleaner, not just today, but every day. Of course we all have our cheat meals along the way, but trust me when you cut our the garbage for 30 days, then go back and try to eat it... you will truly notice the difference in what those foods were doing to you in the beginning. As for working out, it does not need to be hours and hours of vigorous exercise. Imagine walking with your wife, kids, take your dog for a walk around the blog. Every single day, maybe 20 minutes or so. That is so much better than nothing at all and so simple to do, but also so simple not to do. Here at Gonstead Family Chiropractic we do a lot more than fix back pain. We dive into health, nutrition, lifestyle changes to make the best you possible! San Diego is known for its health and fitness, we are here to help kick that up one or two extra notches through true family health and wellness! We look forward to helping you in anyway we can, to ensure the best you becomes reality.

Concussions are such a hot topic right now, not just in the NFL, but in our schools, our children's athletics, etc. They should be, as more studies are suggesting long-term effects, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), among others. In this article we are going to discuss some really surprising facts, what symptoms are, and how to manage these extremely impactful brain injuries.Let's jump right in. Football is NOT the number one cause of brain injuries in sports. A study was done in 2010 that demonstrates football is number 2, with a close 3/4 of baseball/softball and then basketball. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function. Some of the primary symptoms are difficulty thinking clearly, difficulty concentrating, nausea, headache,and irritability. When yourself or you child become concussed, their nerve impulses that normally travel 170 mph are instantly slowed down. When this happens the input to our brain as well as the outgoing signals from our brain are delayed. Studies show that within the first 90 day period of being concussed you are 3.79 times more likely to have a muscle or ligament injury, can anyone say ACL?! Recovering from a concussion is 100% case by case, but there are specific protocols in place to ensure the safety of return for all athletes to both the classroom and the their respective sports. Dr. Zach here at Gonstead Family Chiropractic in San Diego California, has put on several talks on concussions, speaks on behalf of the Mary Seau CTE Foundation, and has even put on a live webinar for parents and athletes. Chiropractic helps ensure that our brain and our nerves signals are operating at 100%. We specialize in connecting the brain and the body to help reduce further injury as well as helping improve the health of your loved ones. Below is a link to the live webinar, should you have any further questions, please reach out to us via email, sign up for our monthly health newsletter, or stop in to check us out. We look forward to meeting you all and making sure your loved ones are in tip top shape and full of life and happiness!

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope this finds you all doing great, getting ready to dive into the new year head first (safely of course)! Now that the bulk of the holiday season is behind us, how many of us enjoyed many of the tasty treats commonly associated with holidays? C'mon put your hands up high. How many of you know that these tasty treats are more destructive to your mind than your waistline?! - put those hands back down now. Studies show that these tasty holiday treats are very destructive on our minds. In many of our foods these days we can find "trans fat". Trans fat is extremely damaging to our minds, specifically our memory. The more trans fat you consumes the worse your memory is. During a recent study, it showed the group whom consumed trans fat, was able to retain 11 words less than those who did not. May not seem like much, but this is over a short time period. Now extrapolate that to your life and how many years you have enjoyed french fries, cakes, pies, pancakes, waffles, tv dinners. The study also showed that the primary affected age group is between 20-45 years old. Well what is the most dominant part of this age groups life? WORK! Work, relationship building, memories with families, friends, kids, you name it and there is a good chance it takes place here. Look at your diets, think about the consequences before enjoying that warm apple pie, those savory fries...is it worth it?

If you have any questions about nutrition or health, please reach out to us to see how we can help you.

Headaches have seemingly become a part of peoples every day life. It is amazing how many believe that having a headache is a normal part of life. Unfortunately they are very common, but definitely not normal. Lets talk about what they are, what are common causes, and what are some fixes for those nagging pains. I am San Diego Chiropractor, Dr Zach Beatty, DC and it my goal to ensure San Diego and this amazing community of people do not have to suffer like so many do around the United States. Headaches are defined by the Mayo Clinic as a pain in any region of the head. These pains can range from sharp, throbbing, or even a dull ache. They can progress gradually or rapidly. Headaches come in so many different forms, this article would be 30 pages long, but we will discuss common general headaches now, in later articles we will review more specific style headaches. Causes of headaches are just as much a wide variety as the style of headaches. In general a headache is caused by some issues in the pain sensitive parts or even over-activity in your head. The head is extremely intricate part of our body. It has nerves, blood vessels, spinal cord, brain, muscles of the neck are all components that can play a factor into headaches. Some ways to combat these darn headaches. Well nothing stimulates the bodies nervous system like a chiropractic adjustment. Yes, this has a plethora of effects on our bodies, blood supply, nervous system, muscles, and bones in the neck. There is chemistry issues that can be leading to headaches, whether it be hormone imbalances, sugar affecting blood flow, lack of nutrition (fat) to feed the brain. All of this is addressed here at Gonstead Family Chiropractic in San Diego. There are also other forms of treatment that have shown benefit, massage, acupuncture, yoga, mediation, etc. We do not just specialize in the chiropractic aspect of your health, but nutrition and look at things from both a microscopic view as well as the 30,000 foot view. In our office there are 2 things that are the most important to us, Your Health and Our Reputation. If you have questions or concerns about headaches and how we can help you alleviate them from your life, please reach out to use by phone, email, or our website. We look forward to helping change your life through chiropractic and help our San Diego community that much more healthier and happier.

In Good Health,Dr Zach Beatty, DCGonstead Family ChiropracticSan Diego, CA

Morning sickness, is something almost every and every soon to be mother has or will experience. It is a normal process, so do not be alarmed. Your body is going through extreme changes, especially to your hormonal balance. San Diego chiropractor, Dr Zach Beatty, wants to give you some crucial tips on how to handle this efficiently and safely. So what should you do if you are experiencing this? There are a couple key things you can do to minimize or even conquer morning sickness. It is recommended to try eating smaller amounts, but more frequently and also get more sleep. So why should you eat small amounts more frequently? Well we want to keep your blood sugar diving down. This will help your nausea. There are some key foods that will are recommended for you and they are high in vitamin B6.

Salmon

Chicken

Tuna

Turkey

Sunflower seeds & walnuts

Bananas

Sweet potatoes

Prunes

* Make sure to avoid overcooking these foods as Vitamin B nutrients are lost when heated to high temperatures.

The next to make sure you are getting ample amounts of sleep. I know how busy life can become here in San Diego. Wanting to go to the beaches, hangout with friends, and get as much done so you can go do those, but SLEEP is so important for all of you mothers and soon to be mothers in San Diego! The last thing is make sure you are getting check by your San Diego chiropractor. Ensuring your spine is in alignment and pelvis is sitting correctly allows maximal room for your little baby to not only grow, but move around. I will plug our office for obvious reason, but Gonstead Family Chiropractic located in UTC La Jolla is family friendly with lots of experience dealing with pregnant moms, infants, kids, and has a family atmosphere. Not only will the adjustments help your pelvis, it will allow you combat lot of the common obstacles within the pregnancy process, such as frequent urination, shortness of breath, constipation, nausea, and much more. As always, please reach out to use if you have any questions or concerns as you wander this path to ever lasting happiness.

San Diego drivers are projected to have one car accident every seven years. If you travel to LA, you are more prone, by having one car accident every five years. So it is really not a question as to if you will have a car accident, but rather when you will be affected by a car accident. We see car wrecks varying from high speed collisions causing a totaling of the car to a little parking lot fender bender. Who do you think goes to get checked out by a medical professional more commonly, based on previous described situations? You guessed it! If there is not much damage to the car, surely no damage to you, right? WRONG! Whiplash can come from as a little as a 5 mph impact, that is barely enough to put a dent into your car. But it is enough to cause a plethora of issues either immediately or many years down the road wreaking havoc on your body. Whiplash is defined as a strain of muscles and tendons of the neck created by a force causing a forward and backward jerking of your head. It comes in all different forms of collision, whether it be sports, car wrecks, or a slip and fall. Some may not even experience any pain or discomfort, but the underlying issue will began instantaneously. The issue I am referring to is degenerative changes along your spine. Whiplash ultimately accelerates the degenerative process. Following most of these collisions, x-rays or some form of imaging are performed by the healthcare professional. The big thing is what happens next. I hear it all the time, "I feel fine, nothing is broken". This is awesome news that nothing is broken, but it doesn't change the straining of your neck muscles from being jerked around. Muscle relaxers relax the muscles, but there is more to healing properly from a whiplash injury.A study performed demonstrated that 39% of whiplash patients, displayed no abnormal findings upon immediate radiographic imaging (ie x-rays), however degenerative changes were displayed 5-10 years following. If we were to base it solely on pain, which many people do, well that same study discusses how 50% of whiplash patients reported chronic neck pain 15 years after the trauma.There are 3 phases that I am going to briefly discuss as well as how chiropractic will be one of the most important healthcare professionals you could see following a whiplash injury. The three phases are acute inflammation, regeneration, and remodeling. Acute inflammation occurs in the first 72 hours following the impact. The second phase is the regeneration phase, which occurs after the 72 hours for up to 6-8 weeks following impact. The third phase is the remodeling phase, which begins from 6-8 weeks up to 6-12 months. These three phases have uniqueness to each, but all are critical to the health of not only your spine, but your overall well being. Each phase is separate and has a unique form of treatment. Step one is to reduce inflammation as quickly as possible from the area of trauma. The second phase is to align fibers correctly to improve the healing within, to avoid long term complications. The third phase is ensure the fibers are healing properly. We at Gonstead Family Chiropractic in San Diego deal with these types of cases regularly. We have an amazing front office whom deals with insurance companies and attorneys flawlessly, taking a large weight off of your shoulders. We also have a lot of great networks throughout San Diego, to ensure you receive the high care whether it be legal representation or healthcare that coincides with your chiropractic adjustments. The matter is not a "if", but rather a "when". And "when" it does happen, we will be here to help you get back on your feet as fast as possible and live a long health lifestyle.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is becoming a household diagnosis over the last several years. So what is ADHD? Who is affected by ADHD? What can be done about it? These are all great questions that I am asked on a regular basis. We will go step by step through these questions. ADHD is described by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) as a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors. So it essentially comes down to the brain and its function. Who is affected by ADHD? We all most commonly associate this diagnosis with children, rightfully so as the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that percentage of children age 4-17 have been on the rise. In 2003 the ADHD diagnosis was 7.8%, then 9.5% in 2007, and again a spike to 11% in 2012. That means approximately 6.4 million children are walking around with the diagnosis of ADHD in the United States! Now for children age 2-5 the diagnosis of ADHD has increased by more than 50% since 2008. As the infamous sales commercials say, "But wait, there's more!". ADHD is affecting more than just children. There are 11,000,000 adults in the US (approximately 5%) suffering from this brain-behavior disorder. Are you kidding me?! Talk about some staggering statistics. So what are we doing to fix this issue? Well based on the CDC statistics, 43% of children age 4-17 are being treated with medication alone. Approximately 13% of children are receiving behavior therapy alone. Are you or your child taking daily dose of the various ADHD medications? There is an alternative to these current treatments. It comes in the way of 100% natural, scientific, and producing results. What is this miracle? It is called Chiropractic. Chiropractic directly affects our nervous system, ultimately connecting our brain to our body and all of its functions. But how does it directly affect ADHD? The most simplistic answer is that our body has two systems within our nervous system. Think of your car, having a gas and a brake. Our bodies are the same way with our sympathetic (gas) and parasympathetic (break) systems. When someone is suffering from ADHD, they are hyperactive, they are full throttle gas (sympathetic). It is like the Toyota's that were being recalled for gas pedals being stuck. Our bodies need that recall or reset to allow the brake to apply and our bodies to become balanced again. If you or someone you know is suffering from ADHD, please have them call their local San Diego chiropractor to see if we can help or have them get in touch with us and we will be more than glad to reach out to our trusted network of chiropractors to find one in their specific city or state.

Sciatica, a condition that many people suffer from each and every year, a word that almost everyone has heard before. To know how to fix something, you must first know what it is. Sciatica by definition of the May Clinic, is a condition where pain radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve. The nerve runs from your low back down the back of your legs, with various branches along the way. It can affect both legs, but much more commonly only affects one leg. The next step is, what causes sciatica. Again via the Mayo Clinic, sciatica is most commonly caused by a herniated disc (disc bulge), degenerative changes of the spine, which ultimately compresses the nerve creating inflammation, pain, and often numbness into the legs. Now we know what sciatica is, we know what causes it, but how can it be resolved? Most cases of sciatica are resolved through non-operative techniques. Chiropractic being one of them, and in my personal and profession opinion, one of the best resolutions for such conditions. We adjust the bones to remove pressure off of the nerve. When we do this, the pain will start to diminish. We also recommend focusing your diet to anti-inflammatory foods, to help jump start removing as much inflammation around the nerve as possible to help you heal faster. Some of these include, fish oil, turmeric, ginger, broccoli, salmon, beets, among many many more. When we tie your nutrition with your chiropractic adjustment, then implement some home stretches/exercises the combination produces amazing results in our patients. If you you or a loved one are suffering from sciatic pain, give your local chiropractor a call and see how they can help you regain your life back. Please, if you have any questions, no matter where you are from, contact us we would love to get you in touch with the right people to help you.

Constipation has occurred in just about everyone's life, whether it was as a child, as an adult, or as you grew older. There are without a doubt multiple reasons that one can become constipated. Some it stems from their diet, plain and simple, if you are not eating the right foods, you cannot expect everything to be A-ok. Some others stem from stress, lifestyle, while others can actually stem from low back issues as well. So where does chiropractic come in?Well what each chiropractor does can be different, but I know what we do in our office. We look to find the true cause of your issue, we seek to find the answers that tell the story, not just put a blanket over the diagnosis of constipation and move on. I think that is the way of our new health conscious society. Who is not seeking to find ways to better their health through non-traditional medicines? I can tell you here in San Diego, it is without a doubt the majority. I have many friends from different realms of health, acupuncture, massage, medical doctors, orthopedic surgeons, trainers, dietitians, etc. But when I speak with them all, it all comes back to finding out what the cause (problem) is and how to fix it. But back to the link between constipation and chiropractic. Our entire body, every cell, tissue, gland in our entire body is controlled through our nervous system. When we take a look into the spinal column and where our nerves travel to and from, it becomes very clear that the nerves in our low back go directly into our digestive tract (bladder, small and large intestines), while some mid back areas go into our stomachs. Think of this like plugging a toaster into the outlet, putting a piece of bread in and pushing the button down, moments later nice crispy well toasted piece of bread pops up. Now imagine that the breaker on that outlet was disrupted... now what happens moments later after putting a piece of bread down? You guessed it, NOTHING. Chiropractic resets your breaker system allowing your body to function optimally, hence a nice piece of crispy toast pops up, and your concerning and sometimes embarrassing constipation issue is resolved.